Baby found breathing on way to his own funeral

A HOSPITAL in India has fired two doctors after they mistakenly informed a couple that their newborn son was dead.

The boy was pronounced dead just hours after his stillborn twin sister at the privately run Max Hospital in New Delhi on November 30.

The twin's grandfather Praveen Malik told CNN that the doctors initially said the boy was in critical condition, but two hours later they officially declared him dead.

The parents were reportedly on the way to the crematorium when they noticed "some movement" inside one of the bags the hospital had placed their babies' bodies in.

"When we opened the bag, we found the boy breathing. I was shocked. I couldn't believe my eyes," Mr Malik said

They rushed the newborn to a nearby hospital where they were told the boy was still alive.

A statement released by the hospital claims the child was "handed over without any sign of life" to the parents.

"While the inquiry by the expert group which includes external experts from Indian Medical Association is still in process, we have decided to terminate the services of the two treating doctors," the statement said.

They hospital added that the decision to fire the two doctors is not to be interpreted as an admission of guilt.

"We wish to clarify that this action should not presuppose finding of any lapse by the expert group and should not be construed in any way to be anything other than an expression of our continued commitment to providing quality healthcare."

The baby boy is now reportedly receiving treatment at the Delhi New Born Centre and is in a critical condition.

"He is on ventilator support, nutrition support and other supports. We are managing to maintain his vitals at the moment but the condition is very serious," Dr Sandeep Gupta, from the Centre, said.

The family is reportedly unsure if the boy will survive but they will not be taking him back to Max Hospital.

An inquiry into the incident is underway, with four medical staff who were allegedly part of the team that declared the baby dead being questioned on Monday.

According to police, the focus of the questioning was to find out the specific duties of each team member and recreate the chain of events that led to the newborn being wrongfully declared dead, The Times of India reported.

Officers are also looking into three injections that were allegedly administered to the child at a cost of $710 (35,000 rupees) and were meant to increase the chances of survival.

Along with this are claims by the boy's father that the hospital had asked them to pay a fee for keeping the baby in the nursery, with the child being declared dead while they were discussing whether to keep the newborn there or not.

According to reports, police sources said that if the allegations were found to be true, the hospital might be charged for extortion.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain declared on Saturday that strict action will be taken against the hospital and its licence would be cancelled if need be.